Thursday, September 19, 2013

Growing boys need their own personal room where they
can unwind after a hard day at school or to socialize with their friends. This
is where a hangout room comes in handy. Parents are easily persuaded to set up
such rooms since they can keep an eye on their children without intruding into
their space.

A hangout room should be located away from the main
areas of the house to provide privacy for the boys to let off steam without
disturbing the rest of the family. The room should offer flexibility for the
children to express themselves by playing games, enjoying loud music or just
chatting with friends.

The ideal hangout room should be a reflection of the
boys’ personality and interests. The aim is to make the room cool and snazzy
enough to meet the children’s approval and to earn the admiration of their
friends.

When designing a boys’ hangout room, parents should
keep a few things in mind.

Décor

The perfect hangout room should appeal to the users’
nature by incorporating their ideas and mixing them with other unique
accessories. Parents can pick a theme and run with it or they can decide to
throw a few items together for a bespoke look.

The walls provide a blank slate to work with. Bright
hues will make the room seem fun and inviting, while murals, posters, graphics
and photos will add a personal touch.

Patterned rugs, decorative window coverings and
colored light bulbs or lampshades can all be used to infuse color and add
visual interest to the room.

Furnishings

The hangout room ought to be fitted with durable and
versatile furniture that can withstand constant roughhousing. This calls for
furnishings made of sturdy materials such as denim or leather. The material
should be easy to clean and should preferably come in dark colors (the better
to hide stains).

A hangout room also requires plenty of seating to
accommodate the boys and their friends. This can be solved by acquiring one
compact, spacious seat such as a corner sofa or several mobile ones. These can include recliners, loungers, floor
cushions or giant beanbags. The latter option comes with the advantage of
mobility, meaning the boys can rearrange the room at will or they can easily
move the furniture to create more space.

Storage space should also be provided in the form of
storage shelves or cupboards.

Entertainment center

No hangout room is complete without an entertainment
center. This can be a big-screen TV mounted on one wall or a music system. It
goes without saying that there should be enough action-packed movies and
multiplayer video games for the boys to enjoy.

The room needs an attention-grabbing centerpiece and
parents can settle for a pool table or a foosball table. Alternatively, they
can spoil their children with vintage pinball machines or video arcade games.

Food corner

Boys are known for their hearty appetites so it would
be a good idea to add a food corner to their hangout. This could include a
small table with a selection of snacks plus a mini-refrigerator stocked with
water, soda and simple microwave meals. A large trash can should also be
provided.

I've started updating my boys' room so it looks more fit for a teenager. It took me a while to let go of the "little boy" stage. One of my sons is asking for a mini fridge for Christmas and I think I'm going to get it so he can put it in his room.